QUALITY CONSTRUCTION THROUGH INSPECTION

Copy with pride!

Sometimes "stealing" what other people have written is the best way to get things right, especially when they have been doing it since 1882. I like to think that I know a lot about how to do inspections innovatively and effectively, but I think I have a thing or two to learn from someone with +100 years more experience than me 😇

The title of this article is, as I mentioned above, "stolen" from the front page of ICWCIs home page; the complete sentence is:

"THE ICWCI IS THE PROFESSIONAL BODY THAT SUPPORTS QUALITY CONSTRUCTION THROUGH INSPECTION"

And who is ICWCI?

As a membership organisation, we provide a support network of meeting centers, technical advice, publications and events to help keep our members up to date with the ever-changing construction industry.

So why am I writing this article?

As a founder of @CHECKD, now known as Next Field and a part of the Next One Technology portfolio, we cover almost all your needs as a professional construction worker. My job is to be an Evangelist, and as an Evangelist, you don´t just need to know the latest technology and what's happening in the market; you also need to know the history behind the trade you are trying to improve. What better way is there then than to learn from the ones that have been doing it "forever"?

This weekend I'm participating in ICWCIs Conference, AGM and the Building on Quality Awards 2022 at @Castleknock hotel just outside Dublin. I can't wait to meet the people and start networking with professional inspectors. OK, you got me! Of course, I hope I will be able to impress some of them with Next Field, because knowledge AND technology are the best mixes if you want to be the best!

In the background, you can see what I'm talking about, and I will return to that in a minute.

Below you can see some more cool (at least I think so) information from ICWCIs web page.

Origins of the Title

The job title "Clerk of Works" is believed to derive from the thirteenth century when "Clerics" in Holy Orders were accepted as being more literate than their fellows, and were left to plan and supervise the "Works" associated with the erection of churches and other religious property. By the nineteenth century, the role had expanded to cover the majority of building works, and the Clerk of Works was drawn from experienced tradesmen who had a wide knowledge and understanding of the building process.

The role, to this day, is based on the impartiality of the incumbent in ensuring value for money for the client - rather than the contractor - is achieved through rigorous and detailed inspection of materials and workmanship throughout the build process. In many cases, the traditional title has been discarded to comply with modern trends, and replaced with "Site Inspector", however the requirement for the role today is as strong as it has ever been.

Purposes of Formation

The Clerk of Works, historically as well as now, is a very isolated profession on site. He/she is the person that must ensure quality of both materials and workmanship and, to this end, must be absolutely impartial and independent in his decisions and judgements. He/she cannot normally, by virtue of the quality role, be employed by the contractor - only the client, and normally by the architect on behalf of the client. His/her role is not to judge, but simply to report (through exhaustive and detailed diary notes*) all occurrences that are relevant to the role.

*and this is where Next Field enters the equation ✅

So, why Is ICWCI and Next Field a good match? Well, it does not help to have all the experience in the world if it's hard to utilize it. Being able to use your experience efficiently will let you do more jobs, help more people and still deliver excellent quality.

So back to the work that a Clerk of Works conduct.

"His/her role is not to judge, but simply to report (through exhaustive and detailed diary notes"

I've conducted several hundred inspections myself, and I know they are not very different from the thousands that others do every day. The job and reporting it is usually like this.

1. You visit a site, walk around and use your experience to log your observations. So the first thing you need is experience, and I won't argue that hiring a Clerk of Works to do this is smart.
2. In 2022 a lot has changed since 1882 (the foundation of ICWCI), and the main tool for getting great notes is the camera, or more often, the Smartphone. Pictures are good, but we all know that finding the right images among hundreds or thousands (53,069 on my phone 🙈) is not always easy. Was that image on the 1st or second floor? Is that the bedroom or living room? Why did I take this picture? When the right images are found, you need to get them into your report in a good way and combine it with your text, so it looks good.
3. So finally, your report is written, and your images are inserted (pretty much) where and how you want them, but how do I know where all these images and notes belong? Do I need to read and understand texts like "this is on the second floor, down the hallway, third door on the right side, under the second window counting from the left..."
4. We all know that a drawing is the best "map" of understanding what is where; that is why a fire evacuation plan is a picture and not a text document. And therefore, we are now at the solution! 🤩

Do you read or look at the picture?

1. Next Field will let you do EXACTLY what you do today, just easier!

You simply put your finger in the drawing, a pin pops up, you take your picture or pictures, write or speak in your text, and your are done!

Yes, you can just click the "generate report" button and outcomes your inspection report with pins at the locations you made notes and took pictures, text and pictures perfectly aligned and professionally looking. You can spend the rest of your day with your family instead of sitting up all night trying to edit and make a good report for your client.

So why don't we just do an inspection using the floor plan above?

In less than 2 minutes (recording is LIVE recorded) I arrive at the site, make the project, insert my first inspection pin with picture and text, make my report, sign it and send it off to YOU!

If you want more information regarding Next Field (formerly known as CHECKD), Next One Technology, or ICWCI, follow the links below.

Feel free to drop me a PM if you want a talk regarding "the inspections today, with the tool of tomorrow" ;-)

Tom-Erik